The Durbar Festival is a cultural, religious and equestrian celebration held annually, usually coinciding with major Muslim festivities. It was born as military parades in the 14th century. During the celebration of the Durbar Festival, each noble house parades before the Emir, acting as a regiment, to demonstrate their loyalty to him as well as displaying that they are ready to defend him in the event of war.
The word ‘Durbar’ comes from India and it means ‘Court’. During the British rule of India in the 19th century, Durban’s began to be organised to gather the different rulers of British India to pay respect to the colonial masters. These ceremonies were introduced in Northern Nigeria in the early 20th century.
The different Hausa and Fulani (dominating tribes in northern Nigeria) rulers gathered in front of palaces and mosques, displaying richly decorated horses, camels, and wearing their best regalia. With time, Durbars have evolved into cultural displays of the Hausa Emirates, a sort of competition among the different traditional rulers and a sign of identity for northern Nigerians.
The ceremony starts when the central figure of the Durbar procession, the Emir and his palace courtiers, officials and bodyguards appear on stage on their decorated horses. There are four processions, each serving a specific purpose and having its own timing and costumes. Much of the knowledge and skills related to Durbar -leather work, weaving, dyeing, embroidery and blacksmithing- are transmitted through informal training and hands-on practice within groups. Certain skills, such as horse preparation, riding and drumming, are taught on a weekly basis and intermittently.
Do you want to attend the Durbar Festival?
Join our next trip to Nigeria from 29th March to 5th April 2025 to get to know the Hausa culture and attend the Durbar Festival in Kano and Zaria. Click here to discover all the details of the trip.
At Last Places we like to describe Nigeria as ‘the African Pakistan’. It is overpopulated with more than 220 million souls, has a bad reputation (most times unfair), and it is full of amazing treasures yet to be discovered. We have been operating in Nigeria since 2016 and we love this unique West African destination.
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